Information distribution and processing system

ABSTRACT

An information distribution and processing system contains a remote site, a sender and a receiving apparatus. The remote site contains a first set of digital data. The sender delivers a second set of digital data to the receiving device. In one embodiment of the present invention, the receiving device contain a timing device for automatically receiving the second set of digital data at predetermined times. The second set of digital data contains a first set of displayable data, a second set of displayable data, at least one non-displayable symbol, and at least one linking reference associated with the second set of displayable data. If desired, a user can select the second set of displayable data. The associated linking reference is sent to the remote site. The associated linking reference is used by the remote site to search for the additional information, and returns the requested information to the user.

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/073,124, filed Feb. 9, 2002 now abandoned; which is a continuation ofapplication Ser. No. 09/812,003, filed Mar. 19, 2001 (now U.S. Pat. No.6,349,409); which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/434,413,filed Nov. 4, 1999 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,317,785); which is acontinuation of application Ser. No. 08/939,368, filed Sep. 29, 1997(now U.S. Pat. No. 6,021,307); which is a continuation in part ofapplication Ser. No. 08/644,838, filed May 10, 1996 (now abandoned);which is a continuation in part of application Ser. No. 08/279,424,filed Jul. 25, 1994 (now abandoned); and application Ser. No.08/255,649, filed Jun. 8, 1994 (now abandoned); which is a continuationin part of application Ser. No. 08/224,280, filed Apr. 7, 1994 (nowabandoned); all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to information distribution andprocessing, and more particularly to distributing information using abroadcast channel and a bi-directional communication channel.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Recent advances in modem and computer technology allow large amount ofdigital data to be transmitted electronically. A number of informationproviders (such as newspaper and magazine publishers) and on-lineinformation distributors (such as America Online, Dialog and Nexis) haveformed partnerships to deliver newspaper and other information on-line.In this system, a subscriber uses a computer and a modem to connect(e.g., through a regular phone line) to the computer of an on-lineinformation distributor. The subscriber can retrieve information,including newspaper articles, stored in the computer of the informationdistributor.

On-line delivery of newspaper has many advantages. For example, theinformation can be updated throughout the day while the printed versionis printed only once or twice a day. Further, it is possible to dotext-based searches on the information. However, it is found thaton-line deliver of newspaper and other information is slow. For example,a subscriber has to wait many seconds for a newspaper article to bedelivered. The quality of the electronic newspaper is low. For example,in order to reduce storage and communication requirements, graphicimages appeared in the printed version are not universally supplied inthe on-line version of newspaper. One of the reasons for such poorperformance is the limited bandwidth of communication channels used byon-line information distributors. Another reason is that information iscentrally processed by the computer at the site of the informationdistributor, with the result that each subscriber only gets a smallslice of the time of the computer.

Another way to communication information on-line is through theInternet, which is a worldwide interconnection of millions of computers,from low end personal computers to high-end mainframes. An importantdevelopment in the Internet is the World Wide Web (the “Web”). The Webis a wide-area hypermedia information delivery and retrieval systemaimed to give universal access to a large universe of documents. Whenthe Web was first developed around 1989, it was known to and used by theacademic/research community only as a means for fast disseminating ofinformation. There was no easily available tool which allows atechnically untrained person to access the Web. An important developmentis the release of a Web “browser” around 1993. It has a simple butpowerful graphic interface. The browser allows a user to retrieve webdocuments and navigate the Web using simple commands and popular toolssuch as point-and-click. Because the user does not have to betechnically trained and the browser is easy to use, it has the potentialof opening up the Internet to the masses.

A document designed to be accessed and read over the web is called a webpage. Each web page must have an address in a recognized format—the URL,or Uniform Resource Locator—that enables computers all over the world toaccess it. Each web page has an unique URL. A web page typicallycontains both text and images. It is also possible to include audio andmovie data.

The Web faces the same problem as the regular on-line delivery ofinformation. This is because most people use the above described modemto access the Internet. Thus, the data transfer rate of the Web is alsolimited. Because multimedia data (comprising a combination of text,graphic, video and/or audio) has a large data size, even whencompressed, it could take a long time to retrieve a document from theWeb. Further, it is difficult to prevent unauthorized persons fromaccess a web-page because more than 20 million people in the world hasaccess to the Internet.

Consequently, there is a need to have an improved system fordistributing information electronically.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention uses two channels to deliver digital information:a broadcast channel and a bi-directional channel. The broadcast channelis used to deliver the bulb of the digital information to subscribers.The amount of information delivered is preferably sufficient to satisfythe needs of a large number of subscribers so that they do not have toobtain additional information using the bi-directional channel. Thebroadcast information is stored on fast storage media located atsubscriber sites. As a result, search and retrieval of the broadcastinformation is quick. Further, the broadcast information is processedlocally using a dedicated on-site processor instead of relying on thecomputers of the information distributors. As a result, the load on thecomputers of the information distributors is reduced. If the subscribersdesire to receive additional information relating to the broadcastinformation, the bi-directional communication channel is used totransmit the request and the requested information.

The distribution costs of broadcast channels are typically much lowerthan that of a bi-directional communication channel. Consequently, themajor portion of information is delivered using low cost distributionchannels. For a large number of subscribers, the broadcast informationwill provide all the information they normally need. Thus, expensivebi-directional communication channels are used only occasionally.

These and other features and advantages of the present invention will befully understood by referring to the following detailed description inconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing showing an embodiment of an informationdistribution system of the present invention.

FIG. 2A shows a newspaper article as displayed on a monitor of theinformation distribution system shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 2B shows the contents of the broadcast information whichcorresponds to the newspaper article of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the information distribution systemof the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of the present invention used in a datacommunication network.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention comprises a novel information distribution andprocessing system and related methods. The following description ispresented to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use theinvention. Descriptions of specific applications are provided only asexamples. Various modifications to the preferred embodiments will bereadily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principlesdefined herein may be applied to other embodiments and applicationswithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, thepresent invention is not intended to be limited to the embodimentsshown, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with theprinciples and features disclosed herein.

The present invention can be used to solve the above described problemof digital information delivery. It uses two channels to deliver digitalinformation: a broadcast channel and a bi-directional channel. Thebroadcast channel is used to deliver the bulb of the digital informationfrom a source to subscribers. The time for broadcasting is preferablyduring a time of low communication load (e.g., off-peak hours). Uponreceiving, the broadcast information is stored on storage media locatedat subscriber sites. If the subscribers desire to receive additionalinformation relating to the broadcast information, the bi-directionalcommunication channel is used to transmit the request and the requestedinformation.

The data transfer rate of the storage media (more than a million bytesper second) could be hundreds of times faster than that of a modem. As aresult, search and retrieval of the broadcast information is quick.Further, the broadcast information is processed locally using adedicated on-site processor instead of relying on the computers of theinformation distributors. As a result, the load on the computers of theinformation distributors is reduced. Even though the requestedinformation is delivered using a regular low bandwidth communicationchannel, the performance of the system would not be severely affectedbecause the requested information is only a small fraction of thebroadcast information.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the broadcast informationcan be sent in the clear while the requested information (which maycontain commercially valuable information) is encrypted. Because theamount of requested information is a small fraction of the broadcastinformation, there is no need to use much computer resource to processthe requested (and encrypted) information. In a different embodiment ofthe invention, the broadcast information is encrypted using a simplealgorithm while the requested information is encrypted using a complexalgorithm. Even though extra computer resource is used to decrypt thebroadcast information, this embodiment may be useful for the case whereit is not desirable for the public to view the broadcast information.

It should be noted that the word “channel” is not limited to a specifickind of physical communication link. The word “channel” merely means apath for communicating information. The term “broadcast channel” means apath allowing an information source to deliver digital information tomany recipients almost simultaneously. The term “bi-directional channel”means a path allowing one-to-one interactive communication between asource and a recipient. These two “channels” could use the same physicalcommunication link (e.g., telephone lines, television cable lines,wireless, optical links, etc.) to perform their respective functions.That is, the same physical communication link can support both broadcastand bi-directional channels.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an information distribution system 250 inaccordance with the present invention. In this embodiment, system 250 isdesigned to electronically distribute digital newspaper. It should bepointed out that system 250 can also be used advantageously todistribute other types of digital information. System 250 contains aplurality of subscriber units (such as units 252 and 254) each connectedto a bi-directional communication channel (e.g., modems 256 and 258coupled to units 252 and 254, respectively) and a satellite transponder260 for broadcasting digital data to these subscriber units. Modems 256and 258 may be coupled to a database 259 via line-based or wirelesstelephone communications. In system 250, satellite transponder 260 isused to broadcast the content of a newspaper to the subscriber unitswhile telephone modems 256 and 258 allow delivering additionalinformation (stored in database 259) to subscriber units 252 and 254,respectively, on a demand basis.

The structure of these subscriber units are substantially identical;consequently, only one of these units, such as unit 252, is described indetail. Unit 252 contains an antenna 266 for receiving broadcast signalsfrom satellite transponder 260, a signal/data processor 268 forperforming signal and data processing functions, a monitor 270 fordisplaying the digital newspaper, and an input device 272 (such as akeyboard and/or a mouse).

Signal/data processor 268 contains a transponder interface 282 forprocessing transponder signal received from antenna 266. Transponderinterface 282 preferably contains a low noise receiver for receivinghigh frequency (e.g., C or Ku band) transponder signal and a universaldata interface for converting the transponder signal to digital data.The retrieved data is stored in nonvolatile storage 284, such as a harddisk or solid state flash memory. Preferably, satellite transponder 260broadcasts the newspaper data at predetermined times. Thus, a real-timeclock 286 is preferably used to turn on interface 282 at thepredetermined times. Processor 268 contains a microcomputer 290 whichcoordinates the operation of clock 286, nonvolatile storage 284, andinterface 282. Microcomputer 290 preferably contains a centralprocessing unit (CPU), random access memory (RAM) and peripheralinterface devices. Processor 268 also contains a communication interface292 for sending and receiving digital data from database 259 throughmodem 256.

The time for broadcast is preferably chosen when communication load oftransponder 260 is at a low level (e.g., around mid-night). As a result,the cost of information delivery is low. Alternatively, the time ofbroadcasting is chosen by transponder 260 because it knows whencommunication load is light. In this case, transponder 260 first sends asignal to signal/data processor 268 for alerting processor 268 toreceive and process the newspaper information.

A user can use the input device 272 and monitor 270 to read the contentof the digital newspaper stored in nonvolatile storage 284. In oneembodiment, the complete content of the newspaper is stored innonvolatile storage 284. The term “complete content” means that the useris able to read the newspaper without relying on information stored indatabase 259 (although other embodiments may deliver less than thecomplete content). In this aspect, system 250 functions in a similar wayas the distribution of a conventional printed newspaper. However, thedigital data of the digital newspaper delivered by satellite transponder260 preferably contains linkage references (such as pointers) whichallow fast retrieval of additional information from database 259.

If the newspaper information received from satellite transponder 260 issufficient to satisfy the needs of a user, signal/data processor 268will not activate modem 256. However, if the user wishes to receiveadditional information relating to an item mentioned in the digitalnewspaper (e.g., by selecting the item using the input device),processor 268 will retrieve the information stored in database 259 usingthe embedded linkage reference.

In system 250 of the present invention, the received digital newspaper(including graphics and other multimedia contents) is stored innonvolatile storage 284, which has fast access time. Further, adedicated processor (i.e., microcomputer 290) is used to processnewspaper information. On the other hand, prior art on-line newspaperdistribution systems rely on modem to deliver the content of thenewspaper stored in a central site. Further, the processor in thecentral site has to serve many users in delivering the newspaper. As aresult, system 250 has superior performance compared to prior arton-line newspaper delivery systems.

In one embodiment of the present invention, commercially valuableinformation is encrypted and stored in database 259. The broadcastinformation does not contain this information. Thus, in this embodimentless than the complete content is delivered by the broadcast channel. Inthis case, the broadcast information would not be useful unless adecryption key is available to decrypt the information obtained fromdatabase 259. As a result, only subscribers who have a decryption keyare able to obtain meaningful information from the newspaper. In thecase, microcomputer 290 also performs decryption functions.Alternatively, a separate decryptor 294 can be included in signal/dataprocessor 268.

It should be appreciated that even though only one database is shown inFIG. 1, the valuable information could be distributed to severaldatabases. Further, the digital newspaper and database 259 could bephysically located in the same site.

If it is not desirable for the public to read the broadcast information,the data transmitted by transponder 260 could also be encrypted. In thiscase, simple encryption algorithm could be used to encrypt the broadcastinformation while complex encryption algorithm is used to encrypt thevaluable information in database 259. A potential hacker would not bemotivated to decrypt (and make public) the broadcast information unlesshe/she can also decrypt the valuable information.

FIG. 2A shows an example of a portion of a newspaper article as seen onmonitor 270. In FIG. 2A, the terms which a user may obtain additionalinformation are underlined (or highlighted in other ways, such assetting in different colors, depending on the choice of the publisher).If desired, the user may select these terms using an input device (e.g.,a pointing device, such as a mouse), and signal/data processor 268 willobtain the additional information from database 259.

FIG. 2B shows the same portion in FIG. 2A as transmitted by transponder260 (for simplicity, other embedded formatting codes, such as center,bold, etc., are not shown). Each of the terms underlined in FIG. 2A areenclosed by a special symbol (e.g., the “

” symbol) and followed by a linkage reference enclosed by anotherspecial symbol (e.g., the “

” symbol). These symbols are invisible to the users and is recognizableonly by microcomputer 290. The linkage information could be as simple asa pointer.

When an underlined term in FIG. 2A is selected by a user, microcomputer290 extracts the linkage reference and transmits it to database 259. Thelinkage reference allows database 259 to retrieve the necessaryinformation quickly without doing extensive searches. As a result, theresponse time of system 250 is fast. The retrieved information canitself contains linkage references and can be searched.

If the speed of searching and retrieving data by database 259 is fast,it may not be necessary to include linkage reference in the broadcastinformation transmitted by transponder 260. In this case, theuser-selects (e.g., using an input device such as a mouse) words andterms he/she is interested in. Signal/data processor 268 transmits theselected items to database 259, which searches for matches in itsdatabase. Matched information is sent to subscriber unit 252 forprocessing.

The bi-directional channel also allows updating of the broadcastinformation. There is typically a time difference between the broadcastand display of information. New information gathered during this timedifference can be stored in database 259 and later transmitted tosignal/data processor

In this embodiment of the present invention, satellite transponder 260is used as the vehicle to electronically broadcast newspaper. However,other broadcast distribution methods can be used. One method is to usethe Internet to broadcast the information. Also note that the broadcastdistribution channels do not have to be electrical. For example, thepresent invention allows the distribution of CDROMs encoded with digitalinformation to the subscriber sites. In the case of electrical broadcastcommunication channels, both wired and wireless can be used. Preferably,unidirectional channels are used for broadcast because of their lowcost; however, the present invention does not preclude the use ofbi-directional communication channels (such as telephone lines) as meansfor distributing broadcast (i.e., one to many) information.

Current technology allows the size of antenna 266 to be as small as 2feet. The costs of antenna 266 and transponder interface 282 is alreadylow enough to be within the reach of small business or a typicalhousehold. The newspaper publisher has to pay for the use of thetransponder. However, the costs is comparable to the printing anddistribution costs of printed newspaper. It is anticipated that thecosts of the newspaper distribution system in accordance with thepresent invention will be lowered as the number of subscribersincreases.

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of a newspaper distribution system 200of the present invention. System 200 contains a satellite transponder210, an earth station 214, and a plurality of subscriber units, such asunits 222 and 224. Transponder 210 functions in a similar way astransponder 260 of FIG. 1 and subscriber units 222 and 224 function in asimilar way as subscriber units 252 and 254 of FIG. 1. Earth station 214receives digital data transmitted by transponder 210 using an antenna216. The data is distributed to subscriber units 222 and 224 via wiredcommunication channel 228, such as cable and optic fiber. Other earthstations could be placed in strategic locations throughout the countryto serve their respective subscribers in a similar manner as earthstation 214 and subscriber units 222 and 224. As a result, a largegeographic area can be served simultaneously by satellite transponder210. The advantage of this embodiment is that the equipment costsincurred by the subscriber units are low.

In some locations, it may not be desirable to use wired communicationchannel to link an earth station to subscribers. In such case, wirelesscommunication channel could be used. FIG. 3 shows an earth station 234which receives transponder signal from transponder 210 using an antenna236. Earth station 234 in turn broadcasts the digital data to itssubscribers, such as subscriber units 242 and 244.

FIG. 3 shows a plurality of modems that are connected to subscriberunits 222, 224, 242 and 244. These modems are connected to a database246. These parts of FIG. 3 is similar to the corresponding part ofFIG. 1. It should be noted that wired communication channel 228 may alsobe used as a bi-directional communication channel for accessing database246.

In one embodiment of system 200, teletext technology is used to linkearth station 234 and subscriber units 242 and 244. Thus, earth station234 could be located adjacent to a television transmission station. Thedigital data received by earth station 234 can be integrated to thevertical blanking interval of a TV signal, which is broadcasted using anantenna 238. Subscriber units 242 and 244 receive the signal usingantennas 239, and 240, respectively. The digital data is then retrieved.Various improvements and refinements of the teletext technology are wellknown and can be incorporated into system

It should be obvious to a person skilled in the art that systems 250 and200 are not limited to the distribution of newspaper. Further, digitalnewspapers of the future may contains contents which are not availablein the printed version, such as multimedia compositions. Otherinformation, such as magazines, graphic images, electronic mails,computer games, multimedia work, or interactive movie, could also beadvantageously distribution using a system similar to systems 250 and200. For example, if it is desirable to distribute interactive movie,the non-interactive portion can be broadcast while the interactiveportion is delivered using a bi-directional channel.

The present invention can also be used in information distribution usinga digital data network. FIG. 4 is a drawing showing a network system 500of the present invention. System 500 contains a data communicationnetwork 502, which could be a local area network or a wide area network.System 500 also contains a plurality of client computers (such ascomputers 506-508) and a plurality of server computers (such as servers516 and 518). These computers are connected to network 502 using aplurality of network access devices 510-514 (such as modems forconnecting the client computers to dial-up lines and channel serviceunits for connecting the server computers to T1 lines or lines of higherdata rates). Preferably, the digital newspaper data and the database isstored in the servers. The digital newspaper data will be broadcasted bya server to the client computers either at a predetermined time or uponrequest. Upon receiving the broadcast data, the clients stores the datain its nonvolatile memory (such as its hard disk).

The structure of the client computers could be similar to subscriberunit 252 of FIG. 1, except that the antenna (such as antenna 266) maycorrespond to the connection from the client computers to network 502and interface 282 may correspond to the network access device. Forexample, client computer 510 may contain a signal/data processor 521, amonitor 522, an input device 523 and an antenna 524. The clientcomputers can communicate with the database server (which corresponds todatabase 259 of FIG. 1). It should be noted that both the database andthe digital newspaper data could be located on the same server. Further,the digital newspaper data and the database information could bedistributed among many servers.

In FIG. 1, the bi-directional channel is a separate physicalcommunication link (i.e., telephone 256, which is different from asatellite link). In FIG. 4, it is possible to use network 502 as boththe broadcast channel and the bi-directional channel. This is an examplethat the same physical link supports both broadcast and bi-directionalchannels. Thus, these channels are defined by their functionalityinstead of by their physical characteristics.

In the Internet, information can be broadcasted by sending the sameinformation to a plurality of electronic mail or URL addresses.Alternatively, information can be sent using a multicasting protocol.The client computers contain a browser which could read the broadcastdigital information. The database server contains a plurality of filescontaining information related to the broadcast information. In the Webenvironment, the broadcast information is a hypertext markup language(“HTML”) document contains links (e.g., in the form of HTML “tags”containing URL addresses of these related files in the database server).A user can use a browser running on a client computer to read thebroadcast HTML document. These tags are typically rendered ashighlighted text or images by the browser. Upon seeing these indicationof links, a user can click on these indications, and the clientcomputers can accesses information in selected files by sending requeststo these URL addresses. The server can then deliver the requestedinformation to the subscribers using standard Web protocol. As pointedout above, these files may be encrypted, and only authorized users canread the content of these files.

Some networks systems support distributive processing. These networksallows “applets” to be distributed from one computer (client and sever)to another computer for execution. An example of such a system is theJava and HotJava environment on the Web. The present invention can beapplied to these network systems. Only some of the applets (preferablythe most important ones) need to be encrypted while most of the appletscan be sent in the clear (or slightly encrypted).

In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, the encryption can beperformed at the time information in the database is delivered to thesubscribers. Different encryption keys could be used. Methods ofdelivering the decryption keys to the subscribers via insecurecommunication channels have been described above, and will not berepeated here.

There has thus shown and described a novel information distribution andprocess system. Many changes, modifications, variations and other usesand application of the subject invention will become apparent to thoseskilled in the art after considering this specification and theaccompanying drawings. All such changes, modifications, variations,uses, and applications are covered by the scope of this invention whichis limited only by the appended claims.

1. An information distribution system for distributing digital data to aplurality of receiving devices in a plurality of locations, at least oneof said receiving devices being connected to a display device, saidsystem comprising: a central site for containing a first set of digitaldata and being in communication with said at least one of said receivingdevices; a plurality of receiving stations located remotely from saidcentral site and said at least one of said receiving devices; and afirst transmitter transmitting a first set of signals to at least one ofsaid receiving stations, said first transmitter being located remotelyfrom said central site and said receiving stations, said first set ofsignals comprising a second set of digital data, said second set ofdigital data comprising: a first set of displayable data and a secondset of displayable data adapted to appear on said display device, saidsecond set of displayable data having an appearance on said displaydevice distinct from the appearance of said first set of displayabledata on said display device for facilitating a user to select saidsecond set of displayable data, a first set of undisplayed data forindicating a presence of said second set of displayable data; and atleast a first linkage reference, said first linkage reference beingassociated with said second set of displayable data and at least oneportion of said first set of digital data, said first linkage referencenot being displayed on said display device; said at least one of saidreceiving stations including a second transmitter configured to transmita second set of signals to said at least one of said receiving devices,said second set of signals containing said second set of digital data.2. The system of claim 1, wherein said second set of digital dataincludes multimedia data.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein said secondset of digital data includes video data.
 4. The system of claim 1,wherein said second set of digital data includes electronic mails. 5.The system of claim 1, wherein said second set of digital data istransmitted by at least one television frequency signal.
 6. The systemof claim 1, wherein said second set of digital data is transmitted by atleast one radio frequency signal.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein saidsecond set of displayable data appears on said display device in adifferent color than said first set of displayable data.
 8. The systemof claim 1, wherein said central site is adapted to transmit said atleast one portion of said first set of digital data to said at least oneof said receiving devices upon receiving said first linkage referencefrom said at least one of said receiving devices.
 9. The system of claim1, wherein said at least one of said receiving devices is adapted tocause said at least one portion of said first set of digital data to bedisplayed on said display device.
 10. The system of claim 1, whereinsaid second set of digital data includes a second set of undisplayeddata for indicating a presence of said first linkage reference.
 11. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein said central site includes a third set ofdigital data and said second set of digital data includes at least asecond linkage reference associated with said third set of digital data.12. The system of claim 1, wherein said first set of digital data isencrypted.
 13. The system of claim 1, wherein said second set of digitaldata is encrypted.
 14. The system of claim 1, wherein said central siteis in wireless communication with said at least one of said receivingdevices.
 15. The system of claim 1, wherein said central site is inwired communication with said at least one of said receiving devices.16. The system of claim 1, wherein said first set of digital data isstored in a database located at said central site.
 17. The system ofclaim 1, wherein said first set of digital data is stored in a databaselocated separate from said central site.
 18. The system of claim Iwherein said first set of digital data is transmitted from said centralsite in a form of an applet.
 19. The system of claim 18, wherein saidapplet is a Java applet.